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MediaTek Audio HAL EUVDEUVD-2026-52067

| CVE-2026-20478 MEDIUM
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-08-03 MediaTek GHSA-36p8-6qw9-45qf
5.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: MediaTek
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain local user-level process on device
  2. Delivery
    Interact with Audio HAL interface
  3. Exploit
    Submit malformed audio buffer data
  4. Execution
    Trigger out-of-bounds heap write in HAL
  5. Impact
    Crash audio subsystem (local DoS)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution on a physical or virtual device equipped with one of the six affected MediaTek chipsets (MT6880, MT6890, MT6988, MT6990, MT2735, or MT2737). The CVSS PR:L metric confirms that at minimum a standard user-level process - not root or administrator access - is required; unauthenticated or network-based exploitation is categorically excluded by the AV:L (local) attack vector. No special configuration of the Audio HAL is required beyond its default active state on affected platforms. Exploitation is bounded entirely to availability impact (DoS) - no confidentiality or integrity compromise is achievable via this vector. The attack is not automatable per SSVC, meaning mass or scripted targeting is not feasible.

Impact

CVSS 5.5 with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H accurately characterizes this as a low-complexity, locally-triggered denial-of-service with no scope change and no confidentiality or integrity impact. EPSS at 0.15% (5th percentile) is very low, reflecting the negligible probability of observed exploitation. SSVC reinforces this: exploitation is 'none,' the attack is 'not automatable,' and technical impact is 'partial.' There is no CISA KEV listing and no public proof-of-concept identified. This is a genuine moderate-severity issue confined to devices carrying specific MediaTek chipsets - meaningful for device OEMs who must integrate the patch, but not an emergency priority for most enterprise or consumer defenders. The real-world risk is low: an attacker must already have local code execution on a targeted device, and the maximum gain is crashing audio services.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A malicious or compromised application with standard user privileges on a device running an affected MediaTek chipset submits specially crafted audio buffers to the Audio HAL interface, triggering a heap out-of-bounds write in the audio processing path. The resulting memory corruption crashes the audio subsystem, causing loss of audio functionality or, depending on crash recovery behavior, a broader system restart. No public proof-of-concept has been identified, making opportunistic exploitation unlikely at this time.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 03, 2026

Heap buffer overflow in MediaTek's Audio Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) across six chipset families enables local denial of service on affected mobile and automotive platforms. A local user-level process can trigger an out-of-bounds write in the Audio HAL, crashing the audio subsystem with no user interaction required. No public exploit exists and EPSS sits at 0.15% (5th percentile), consistent with SSVC's 'none' exploitation status and the strictly local, availability-only impact profile.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-confirmed patches: ALPS10981454 for MT6880, MT6890, MT6988, and MT6990 chipsets, and AUTO00851293 for MT2735 and MT2737, as detailed in the MediaTek August 2026 Product Security Bulletin (https://www.mediatek.com/product-security-bulletin/August-2026). OEM device manufacturers integrating these chipsets should incorporate the patches into their next Android security update release cycle and push over-the-air updates to end users. Where patching is delayed, restricting untrusted application access to audio system services via tightened SELinux policy or by disabling audio processing APIs for third-party apps can reduce exposure - note this trade-off will affect legitimate audio application functionality. Exact patched firmware or BSP versions for OEM integration are not independently specified in available data beyond the MediaTek patch IDs.

Affected VersionsENISA

MediaTek chipset MT6988
MediaTek chipset MT2737
MediaTek chipset MT6990
MediaTek chipset MT6890
MediaTek chipset MT6880
MediaTek chipset MT2735

Affects your stack

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerable component is MediaTek's Audio Hardware Abstraction Layer - the Android software bridge between the audio framework (AudioFlinger) and chipset-level hardware drivers. CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) indicates the HAL fails to enforce heap buffer boundaries during audio data processing, allowing writes beyond allocated memory regions. The affected chipsets span two distinct patch groups: MT6880, MT6890, MT6988, and MT6990 (mobile SoC family, patch ALPS10981454) and MT2735 and MT2737 (automotive-grade, patch AUTO00851293), as confirmed by MediaTek's August 2026 bulletin. The CPE string cpe:2.3:a:mediatek,_inc.:mediatek_chipset:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the full affected product family. The heap corruption is write-only with no demonstrated read primitive, which constrains the impact to availability degradation rather than code execution or data leakage.

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Severity by source

Vendor (MediaTek) PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 5.5 MEDIUM

Local-only HAL access model mandates AV:L; standard user process sufficient so PR:L; DoS-only impact means C:N/I:N with A:H; no scope change applies.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (MediaTek).

CVSS VectorVendor: MediaTek

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

In Audio HAL, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a heap buffer overflow. This could lead to local denial of service with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS10981454 (Note: For MT6880, MT6890, MT6988, MT6990) / AUTO00851293 (Note: For MT2735, MT2737); Issue ID: MSV-7638.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
MediaTek chipsets power a large share of mid-range Android devices globally
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Related Vulnerabilities in MediaTek Audio HAL Buffer Overflow and Race Condition

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Out-of-bounds read in MediaTek modem firmware across 19 chipsets enables remote denial of service when a User Equipment

CVE-2026-20458 HIGH
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Remote privilege escalation in the baseband modem firmware of dozens of MediaTek chipsets allows an attacker operating a

CVE-2026-20510 MEDIUM
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Privilege escalation via a double-free memory corruption bug in camera middleware affects 17 MediaTek chipset variants,

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